Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: The Easy Route
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RaisedByBears99 |
First off, something about dad. He's got to be moving. He's one of those incredible people who can do anything with nothing, and always has - much longer and harder and faster than anyone else. Just watching him used to wear me out. He was an industrial arts teacher. When he retired, so did about half the indutrial arts courses at the school where he taught (in spite of the fact there were three other IA teachers). Summers we used to build garages, decks, storage buildings, etc. He also worked at a camp. Then he and my mother started going round the world building churches. They built in Philipines, Germany, Israel, Scotland, Nepal, Columbia, Venezuala, Ecudor. Then he built the church they attend. It would be five old guys on the ground - handing boards up to dad - who was running back and forth on the rafters. He was in such a hurry, he once fell off the peak. He didn't want to hit the ground, so he stuck out his arms behind him and grabbed the truss as he went by and scrambled back onto the structure. He broke two ribs, but didn't mention it for a month. He was 75 About five years ago, he started having joint issues and had a total hip. We have done a couple of trips a year, but he isn't near as strong as he used to be. This year he had the other hip done. He's 87 and, and all this sitting around has him bored silly. He's been quietly gathering gear for "going north." We just had his brithday. A week before his birthday, he let me know he wanted a thermal mattress "for camping." "I'm getting old, you know," he said, "and it's getting harder to sleep on the ground." "Me and my big mouth," was my thought. Please help me with a list of the easiest weekend BWCA trips. |
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Savage Voyageur |
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alpine525 |
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brp |
It is not a great route, but really easy with zero portages or maybe a few small carry-overs, Hog Creek EP 36. Take that down to Parent Lake, which is decent size. Then you would have to paddle back out Hog Creek. |
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Jackfish |
quote brp: "Your dad is awesome." That's for sure! I hope you find a good route. Your dad deserves another trip. :) |
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Woods Walker |
quote Savage Voyageur: "Sounds like a great problem to have. My Dad died a few years ago and I wish I could have taken him. We did a lot of hunting and fishing but never a canoe trip. I would do the Sag- Seagull loop of go out of Sawbill. Have fun with your Dad. " Sounds like a carbon copy of me, Sawbill is a great area & portages can be long, but not hard in that area. As mentioned above Lake One is or was great too, see's more traffic, but is a question mark since the fire last year. Hope you have a great trip, my dad was in rough shape for his last 15 years & died at 72 in 2002.... I used to do everything I could to keep him comfortable in the woods on hunting trips. Might be where I get my pack mule mentality. Enjoy every moment you have, you never know when it will be the last chance. |
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overthehill |
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RaisedByBears99 |
quote LoneWolf: "East Bearskin to Alder to Canoe. Short portages. Basecamp on Canoe. Then if your dad is up for a hiking without canoes and heavy packs, hike up to Johnson Falls. I'm not sure what your dad can handle because it is hilly, but he sounds pretty tough. Been there many times. He's not up to the staircase - or Caribou Rock. |
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Canoodler |
quote Woods Walker: "quote Savage Voyageur: "Sounds like a great problem to have. My Dad died a few years ago and I wish I could have taken him. We did a lot of hunting and fishing but never a canoe trip. I would do the Sag- Seagull loop of go out of Sawbill. Have fun with your Dad. " Lakes One to Four were largely unhit by the Pagami Creek fire but Hudson and Insula were pretty much charred. I cannot add any other ideas to what was already mentioned. |
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LoneWolf |
Also, if you go the Duncan Lake area mentioned above make sure to stop and see the staircase portage and falls. |
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Curmudgeonn |
quote RaisedByBears99: "quote LoneWolf: "East Bearskin to Alder to Canoe. Short portages. Basecamp on Canoe. Then if your dad is up for a hiking without canoes and heavy packs, hike up to Johnson Falls. I'm not sure what your dad can handle because it is hilly, but he sounds pretty tough. This makes the Moss Lake approach even better. On Duncan Lake you are already at the top of the staircase. A short walk down the portage brings you to the panorama or Rose Lake, it's palisades, Arrow Lake palisades, and the depths of the Canadian forests. One can spend hours up there relaxing and taking in the sites. |
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kayakrookie1 |
quote brp: "My dad is 58 and won't go. You're dad is awesome. I picture him like Fred Schnabel on Gold Rush Alaska. That's John Schnabel. But yea, that guy is awesome. You can tell when watching Gold Rush that he did an excellent job of passing on good work values and wisdom to his son and grandson. |
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Curmudgeon |
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Dennisal |
Thanks. |
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Curmudgeon |
Hire Hungry Jack Lodge to haul your gear down the one portage, grab the one site across the lake (it's a beauty), have the whole lake to yourself along with several thousand small - medium sized stocked lake trout. If you want to do some day trips, take the short portage to Duncan which opens up a world of possibilities. |
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RaisedByBears99 |
quote Curmudgeon: "Moss Lake just south of Duncan lake. Looks and feels like the BWCA, but it's one lake outside of the BWCA. No permit, no BWCA rules. That sounds like the one. I often ice fish there in winter. That would be a good site. Thanks for the other offerings as well. |
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Curmudgeon |
quote RaisedByBears99: "quote Curmudgeon: "Moss Lake just south of Duncan lake. Looks and feels like the BWCA, but it's one lake outside of the BWCA. No permit, no BWCA rules. The one site on the lake is nice and gets a great sunset. |
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jdevries |
Jim |
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Spartan2 |
quote Dennisal: "RBB99... interested in knowing how your dad did in the BW after the hip replacements. I am 62 years old and looking at a possible right hip replacement. If having the surgery means missing going to the BW again, then surgery might not be an option for me. There is thread on quiet journey about hip replacements, and one of the members posted a rather lengthy description of how his life (and his Quetico trips) changed for the better after his hip replacements. Might be worth checking out. It's in the "Back to Civilization" forum, and the title is "New hip and canoeing". |
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msray53 |
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